Moisture control device



Nov. 2, 1948. A. R..SABIN 2,452,957

MOISTURE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Jan. 4, 1944 n ov. 2, 194a Archie R. Sabin, Alexandria, Va. Application January 4, 1944, Serial No. 516,977

The present invention relates to moisture or humidity control or conditioning, and more particularly to the provision of means for assuring the maintenance of predetermined more or less constant humidity values in a packaged article or commodity. More specifically, the invention provides novel and improved means for encas ing a quantity of a moisture-controlling substance to be used in conditioning relation to an article or commodity, in such away that the article or commodity will receive the full benefit of the action of the substance and will be protected from damage by any free water which may be present in the substance under any normal or abnormal conditions of use.

The invention is applicable in closely analogous ways to both humidifying and dehumidifying substances, inasmuch as a generic feature of the concept comprises encasing the conditioning substance in an enclosure made of a particular type of material which will transmit water vapor more or less readily. as may be required, either from the substance to the article or commodity, or from the article or commodityto the substance. As a matter of fact, in certain preferred embodiments of the invention the encasing material is used with a conditioning substance which acts alternatively to yield or take up water vapor as conditions inside the outer enclosure may require. An important feature of the invention is the capacity of the encasing material for the conditioning substance to transmit water vapor (in either direction as hereinabove explained) without transmitting free or liquid waterwhich may at times be present in or with the conditioning substance.

.. General objects and advantages of the invention are concerned with providing a humiditycontrolling capsule, packet or the like for a packaged article or commodity which will be inexpensive to make, easy and convenient to use, foolproof and durable in operation, efficient in the performance of its function of maintaining more or less constant predetermined humidity conditions, and completely effective in preventing contamination of the article or commodity by free water which may at any time be present in the capsule, packet or the like.

I have discovered that certain materials which are substantially waterproof, i. e., which will for a comparatively long period of time hold liquid or free water without leaking or otherwise transmitting the same, and which are more or less. permeable to water vapor, so that such vapor will pass through them at a predetermined sum- 1 Claim. (Cl. 299-24) cient rate for humidity-controlling purposes over the full range of temperature and other conditions which may reasonably be expected to be encountered, can be formed into containers for moisture-controlling substances and that such containers will completely protect associated packaged goods from damage by water in the container and will not noticeably interfere with the desired evolution or absorption of moisture by the substance in the container. A container made of such material may be sealed, if desired,

so that the package containing it and the goods to be conditioned may be inverted or roughly handled without bringing any water into contact with the goods. When a container of this type is used it is not necessary to calculate or attempt to alter the liquefaction temperature of any ei'llorescent salt or the like which may be used in it. since it is of no consequence whether the package will be subjected to temperatures high enough to liquefy the salt. Other economies are eflected because it becomes unnecessary to gauge accu-- rately the moisture capacity of the quantity of r controlling substance which is used. It makes no difference if there is considerable excess, because i no amount of water development can result in damage to the goods.

Sheet materials which are substantially waterproof and yet sufllclently permeable by water vapor tobe useful in the practice of the present invention include commercial illms or sheets made of uncoated regenerated cellulose or coated regenerated cellulose.

The foregoing materials are substantially completely waterproof, for the purposes of the present invention, in films of the order of .001 to .010'

inch thick.

The following example of one specific embodiment of the invention which I have successfully reduced to practice may be given:

For moisture-conditioning a standard, conventional package of twenty cigarettes having an inner surface area of approximately 26 square inches, 2 grams of Glaubers salt (sodium sulcigarettes with the salt-containing envelope onclosed therein.

In these figures. I designates a packet or envelope containing a small quantity oi Glauber's salt, as shown at 2. The filled envelope is flat and is easily included with a conventional pack of twenty cigarettes 9 in a standard type P ckage 4, as shown in Fig. 2.

Various other modifications oi the specific illustrative suggestions herein madewill readily occur to those skilled in the art and all are to be deemed within the spirit of the invention insofar as they are within the scope oi the appende claim.

I claim: 1

A moisture-controlling device comprising a quantity of' eillorescent material encased in a container formed of regenerated cellulose fllm which is waterproof but permeable to water vapor.

ARCHIE R. SABIN.

naraanncas crran The iollowlne references are 0! record in the file of this Patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT8 

